*+Online+collaboration+with+Google+Docs

**Online collaboration with Google Docs**
([|Google Docs and Spreadsheets] Here, you can create, share, and collaboratively edit documents and spreadsheets online from any computer.)

Previously the Web was seen as a research and reference resource. The increased interactivity of Web 2.0 means the internet also includes many of the software programs previously stored on individual computers. The Internet is now becoming not just **"a place we go,"** but an **application**.

For example: at Pixlr, an image editor only accessable through the internet ( [|http://pixlr.com/editor/)], you can edit images online. The site is a simplified version of the professional photo editing and image manipulation program Photoshop. At no cost it allows you to create and edit images regardless of which computer you are working at.

The web now also includes many online office suites (similar to word, exel etc.). This means you can do everything that Office can do online... for free?

One of the more popular and most useful of these tools is Google Docs which you have access to if you have signed up for a free Gmail account. No longer do you create a document, email it to your team, make some alterations, send the revised copy, ask for input, create a third version, save it on the server where you can't access it at home, copy a version to your home computer, email back you indiviual changes and then end up with many versions stored across several computers, servers and inboxes which you continually print out. Google also has a built-in **revision history**, like a wiki it saves every version of the document with a time stamp and user name. Collaboration between users is a strong feature of Google Docs. Documents can be shared, opened, and edited by multiple users at the same time, you don't need to be in the same place. In the case of spreadsheets, users can be notified of changes to any specified regions via e-mail. Documents, spreadsheets, and presentations can be either created within the application itself, imported through the web interface, or sent via email. They can also be saved when needed to the user's computer in a variety of formats. By default, they are saved to the Google servers (accessible online). Open documents are automatically saved to prevent data loss, and a revision history is automatically kept. Documents can be tagged and archived for organizational purposes.
 * Google Docs** is a free, Web-based [|word processor], [|spreadsheet], [|presentation], and [|form] application offered by [|Google]. **It allows users to create and edit documents online while collaborating in real-time with other users.**

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 * Google Docs in Plain English from CommonCraft**

You can easily do all the basics, including making bulleted lists, sorting by columns, adding tables, images, comments, formulas, changing fonts and more. And it's free. Google Docs accepts most popular file formats. You can begin by simply uploading your existing files. Just click the toolbar buttons to bold, underline, indent, change font or number format, change cell background color and so on.
 * Key Features of Google Docs**
 * **Create basic documents from scratch or [|start from a template].**
 * **Upload your existing files.**
 * **Familiar desktop feel makes editing a breeze.**


 * Other Features**
 * It's **free**.
 * It's **easy**. If you are familiar with the basic toolbar functions in Word, Excel and Powerpoint, you should find Google Docs fairly intuitive to navigate..
 * Documents are **stored online** and accessible from any computer. There is only one copy of each document, and you can never lose it.
 * It's **compatible** with Microsoft Office.
 * It's **collaborative**. Share documents with other users and edit them **simultaneously**! One useful classroom application would be for a teacher to give feedback on a student within the Google doc, rather than on a printed version. Also great for peer-editing.
 * It offers built-in **revision history**. Google saves every version of a document with a time stamp and user name (like a wiki), allowing users to
 * Compare any two versions of a document, seeing exactly what has changed.
 * Know precisely which content was contributed by each user. (e.g. teachers can evaluate and track student contributions over time).
 * Easily revert to an old version at any time.
 * **Chat feature**: Google **spreadsheets** allows users to discuss a file while working on it. Google **presentations** allows viewers to discuss the presentation while watching it online!
 * **Instant forms**: Create a survey, poll or other form and email it to selected respondents, or publish it to the web and send the link to desired participants. Results are instantly stored in a Google spreadsheet.
 * Many **sharing and publishing** options.
 * Documents can be public or private (unshared); Collaborators may be invited as editors or only as viewers.
 * Documents may be **Published** to the web for **viewing as a web page**. Simply share the URL on a website or in email.
 * Spreadsheets and presentations are **embeddable** in other web pages (such as wikis).
 * When you make changes to a **Published** document, the **Published** version updates automatically when the document is saved.


 * Explore Google Docs:** http://www.google.com/google-d-s/tour1.html